Sudan, Marine Biodiversity, Counter-terrorism & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

The High-Level Pledging Conference for the humanitarian response in Sudan and the Region has just wrapped up. In his remarks, the Secretary-General warned that the scale and speed of Sudan’s descent into death and destruction is unprecedented, and without strong international support, Sudan could quickly become a locus of lawlessness, radiating insecurity across the region. nbsp;nbsp;

This morning, Member States adopted an agreement aiming to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction which cover over two-thirds of the ocean. The Secretary-General commended the adoption of the agreement and said it “pumped new life and hope to give the ocean a fighting chance.”nbsp;

This morning, the Secretary-General also spoke at the third High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism agencies of Member States. He reminded participants that terrorism affects every region of the world and preys on local and national vulnerabilities and the instability of political, economic and security systems. nbsp;nbsp;

Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, today said that he was deeply concerned by the Israeli Government’s decision yesterday to alter settlement planning procedures that have been in place since 1996, which is expected to expedite settlement expansion.

Abdoulaye Bathily, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, briefed the Security Council today and acknowledged the recent efforts of the “6+6” Committee as an important step forward, though not sufficient to resolve the most contested issues and enable successful elections. nbsp;

Yesterday, in a statement, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, said that the UN has been engaging with the Governments of Ukraine and the Russian Federation on the effective delivery of aid to all people affected by the devastating destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.

Turning to Yemen, as the eighth meeting of the Supervisory Committee on the Implementation of the Detainees Exchange Agreement has concluded this weekend in Amman, Jordan, the Office of the Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has announced that it will work with the parties during the coming days to ensure continued engagement and coordination of efforts to achieve progress on this humanitarian file.

The Secretary-General strongly condemned the attack last Friday against the Lhubirira secondary school in Mpondwe in Western Uganda, reportedly by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) group.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan – UNMISS - welcomed today what it called concrete steps taken by the Government of South Sudan to pursue accountability and justice for survivors of serious crimes, including sexual violence, in Yei, Central Equatoria State.

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. This year focuses on technology and the digital divide. In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General reaffirmed that accessible technology can alert people to danger and enable abuses to be documented and verified, as a first step towards accountability.

Building on the outcomes of the Transforming Education Summit in September 2022, the Secretary-General has today announced the establishment of a High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession and appointed its two co-chairs

For further details please see SOURCE below.
Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General